Public Forums

Please join us at a public forum to learn more about the rec district:

Public Forum Agenda:6:15-6:25 Welcome 6:25-7:00 Presentation7:00-7:30 Question & Answer (written questions)Short Break7:32-8:00 Opportunity to be Heard (members of public may speak once for up to one minute)​Free childcare will be provided at all public forums starting at 6:00p.m.

*Transportation made available for Essex Seniors through the Senior Bus on September 28th and 29th.

Questions Gathered from You and Your Neighbors at our Forums:Questions marked with (*) were asked at the September Forums, those marked with (**) were first asked at the October Forums and those marked with (***) were first asked at the November Forum.

*Why a stand-alone department and not a combined department under the Town of Essex?

A Union Municipal District:

Unites community recreation under one independent umbrella rather than an existing municipality

Both communities/departments will be on equal ground - starting anew instead of joining an existing structure

We have two great recreation departments that many people in our community are very supportive of. Instead of selecting one department over the other, we want to bring the best of both worlds together under a new roof.

Would have one budget, voted on directly by the community by Australian ballot each April with school budget and village election voting.

Currently, under the Town of Essex municipality, the budget that includes recreation is voted on via voice vote at town meeting in March.

The recreation budget will be independent from other municipal departments or the schools.

Currently, under the Town of Essex municipality, the recreation budget is contained in the total town budget.

Recreation is a unique government service that relies in part on tax revenues, but also generates revenues through program fees. This independence will help to continue to allow rec related revenues to be used to support recreation initiatives. Additionally, this approach helps to minimize tax increases for recreation.

Oversight will increase

Recreation operations and budget will be the sole focus of a 5-member elected board (instead of multiple schools or multiple departments).

**As a resident of the Town outside the Village what do I get out of this proposal?

A robust, combined rec department with more direct oversight and a separate vote on the budget by Australian ballot, as well as resident access; a big part of the merger for residents of the town-outside-the-village is program access and no longer paying non-resident fees.A combined rec department will also eliminate redundancies in programming and administration costs.

**Why are people against this new proposal?

While we cannot answer why individuals may be against this proposal, the RGSC identified the following cons to a UMD: Two small departments are combining into one. Realizing tax equity will result in an increase for the town outside the village taxpayers. Adds another elected board and government entity to the community. There are additional administrative costs as two departments move to one independent department.

*How does this move us forward to the goal of a unified community rather than creating a new municipal function that makes unification more complicated in the future?

Future Unification will not be impeded by the formation of Essex Community Parks & Recreation. Having departments already united, especially departments that function uniquely between communities will likely make unification less complicated in the future.

**Why is it a bad idea to let the select board balance budgetary priorities between recreation & parks and other items such as roads?

It is not a bad idea, but having the rec budget by itself means the voters decide. The decision to form a union municipal district was selected for a variety of reasons that recognize the history and values of our community when it comes to parks and recreation services.

*Was EJRP ever supposed to be a part of the new school district?

If there were not a clear plan for the future of recreation in the Village of Essex Junction, EJRP would have transferred to the new Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union School Disrict (EWSD) on 7/1/17.The EWSD recently stated that they support recreation and will work to establish a facilities use policy that continues to prioritize a partnership with recreation and park departments but governance of EJRP falls outside the scope of the work of the EWSD.

*What is the difference between a UMD and an STD?

Under Vermont Statute, Title 24, Chapter 121, Subsection 003, Essex Community Parks & Recreation would be a Union Municipal District (UMD). The statute does not mention STD’s and the RGSC continues to use the legal terminology.

**What is the biggest downside to keeping the status quo?

There is no status quo for EJRP because the department has to go somewhere due to the formation of the unified union school district. If the vote is approved to form a union municipal rec district then that will move forward. If the vote is “no” then the Prudential Committee plans to work with the Trustees to transfer EJRP to the Village municipality.

**Where is information available that describes why the other consolidation options were rejected?

An interlocal contract is allowed under Vermont Statute Title 24 Chapter 121. The statute provides that any one or more municipalities may contract with any one or more other municipalities to perform any governmental service, activity or undertaking which each municipality entering into the contract is authorized by law to perform, and expenses for such governmental service, activity or undertaking are included in a municipal budget.

*How is the ability to bond an issue or not an issue as a municipality, contract, nonprofit,part of the town budget?

Issuing a bond is a function of a municipality or government agency, a non-profit cannotbond nor can a contracted company, even when working for a municipality.

*Were the 7 options the RGSC reviewed ranked? If so what was the order?

As an exercise to narrow focus and decide what still needed to be explored, the RGSC would administer an anonymous survey. The following was the last survey ranking resulting from brainstorming and weighing of pros and cons for each of the following governance models. (The non-profit option of EJRP remaining separate but as a non-profit or merging with EPR as a non-profit were eliminated prior to this point.) Each RGSC member in attendance was asked to rate each model on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest.

Interlocal Contract with the Town: 18Consolidate EJRP with EPR under the Town: 21Keep EJRP under the Village Municipality: 22Move EJRP under the new unified school district: 33Union Municipal District: 46

**Why wasn’t a Pugh Matrix used?

A Pugh matrix is one type of decision making model that could have been employed the committee chose to use a different decision making model.

**Why is the RGSC still involved after the authorized work was done?

The RGSC will continue to disseminate information about the recommendation and will continue to discuss issues so that voters understand what they are voting on, on December 13.

**When does the legislature get involved in this process?

The agreement was approved by the State Attorney General. The state legislature will only get involved if the new rec board wants a charter.

*Do Brad and Ally (recreation directors) support the proposal and Why?

Their personal opinions have not been shared with the RGSC. On December 5th they released a joint statement to the public that can be read here.

*If Village residents vote twice on December 13th how are the ballot questions the same or different? How do the results of the 2 votes impact the outcome?

There are two separate ballots for the proposed December 13th vote.

One Ballot will be available to only residents of the Village of Essex Junction and has the following question:Shall the Village of Essex Junction enter into an agreement for the formation of a union municipal district to be known as "Essex Community Parks & Recreation?" Yes or No

The Other Ballot will be available to all residents of the Town of Essex and has the following question:Shall the Town of Essex enter into an agreement for the formation of a union municipal district to be known as "Essex Community Parks & Recreation?" Yes or No

Each Ballot question will be tallied separately, and Essex Community Parks & Recreation will only be formed if BOTH ballots have more yes votes than no votes.

With a “NO” Vote from either the Town of Essex at Large or the Village of Essex Junctionthe Prudential Committee resolved on 10.10.16 to "Pursue transferring governance of the EJRP to the Village Municipality." and "Ensure disposition of all EJRP properties, facilities, equipment, resources and contracts will be resolved directly with the Village Trustees by June 30, 2017."

The Village trustees have stated their willingness to work with the prudential committee to initiate transfer of governance of EJRP to the Village government:They would seek to maintain and enhance all current EJRP programs and servicesand Explore finance and governance models that will allow EJRP to maintain its present entrepreneurial approach to creating and financing its programs and services and keep budget separate.

The Trustees and Village would not pursue any further efforts to consolidate recreation departments with the Town of Essex at this time.

*Why wouldn’t the trustees pursue continued cooperation with the selectboard if a “no” vote? What about other town/village programs?

The Trustees have provided several reasons. One, the Trustees need to assume the broadest interpretation of the vote. Two, the Trustees need to provide stability for the many stakeholders involved in recreation from the recreation department staffs to the many families who rely on EJRP’s childcare services. Three, the Essex Junction residents have voted for their recreation budget as a separate ballot question for years. The residents place great value on this feature of their recreation department.

The Trustees will continue to discuss other programs.

*Why aren’t 3 options being voted on?

According to the Town Attorney, Vermont law does not allow the Selectboard or Trustees to proceed with a ranked ballot question.Vermont Statutes Section 2681a of Title 17 specify that public questions are to be written in theform of a question, with boxes indicating a choice of “yes” and “no” directly to the right side ofthe question. The Vermont legislature has not provided the authority to submit ranked choiceballots.

In addition, the operative statute specifies the ballot language to be used for creating a Union Municipal District. No ranking of the proposed agreement against alternatives is allowed.

*Is this proposal the most cost effective solution?

At the RGSC’s first meeting, the committee identified five goals:

Ensure that the current quality of recreation services are maintained or enhanced.

Explore all avenues and entities before making a recommendation.

Actively engage the community in the process and keep them informed by making information easily accessible.

Keep the community’s affordability in mind and ensure that the funding structure is fiscally responsible and will be supported by the public.

Reach a consensus on a final recommendation by the middle of June.

The RGSC chose this model because it best met all the goals of the committee rather than just one. Other models either did not meet some of these goals, or didn’t meet them as well.

*What is the RGSC's response to the issue of sensitivity of voters to tax increases both short and long term?

Currently, the Village Trustees are proposing a phased in approach for equalizing the tax differentials for recreation between the town and the village. This makes the proposed short term impact for Town outside the Village residents who own a $280K home a $16 increase in the first year and $12 increase in the next 4 years, at which point tax equity will be achieved. Please note: these budget numbers are proposed using assumptions that can be found here. If the vote passes in December, just as is done in municipalities and school districts, the new ECPR board will have to put together a finalized budget for FY 2018 and the voters would have to approve that budget before final tax impact numbers are available.

*What if we vote yes to the UMD and no on the Essex Community Parks & Recreation budget?

If the creation of the UMD is approved in December, then the new board will create and proposetheir budget. If their budget fails in April, then just as the school districts, selectboard and trustees do, the new board will need to rework the budget and put it up for vote again.

*Can you estimate how many folks vote for EJRP and EPR budgets now and howmany might (based on historic school budget voting) vote on the Essex Community Parks & Recreation budget?

About 680 Village residents vote on the EJRP budget via Australian Ballot and about 250 vote via voice at town meeting on the Town’s budget which contains EPR’s funding.

**What is the largest expense line on the Junction rec budget today?

Salaries and benefits.

**Can you list some of the programs in the Village that contribute to paying $192 more each year in taxes support for parks and recreation, over the Town outside the Village?

$192 is the amount the average Village household pays in property taxes to support EJRP. The budget sheet shows total amount of tax dollars currently to support EJRP at $743,000. Property tax money is taxed off the grand list. The grand list in the village ($11 million) is smaller than the grand list in the town ($25.5 million) which means a larger tax base to generate tax money. Total amount of taxes is almost identical between the two rec departments, but they are taxed from two different grand lists.

*Will Essex Community Parks & Recreation budget votes be Australian Ballot or Voice Vote? Why not do it in March?

Budget votes would be held in April with the new Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union School District budget vote. The Essex Governance Group advised that it’s good practice to consolidate voting dates.

*Why is an independent budget so important?

An independent budget is money that the community will vote to approve that will only be utilized to support Essex Community Parks & Recreation. This allows for program consistency. Budget changes will easily be visible to the community.

*Please explain how the proposed union operations could acquire a budget or substantial increase without the public knowing about it or without any power to prevent it.

The Union Municipal Recreation District CAN NOT acquire a budget or substantial increase without the public knowing about it or without any power to prevent it. The Recreation District will follow Vermont Open Meeting Laws and the budget will be voted on by Australian Ballot by the community concurrent with the vote on the school budgets.

*What is the bottom line Tax increase that a town outside the village resident can expect?

The estimated tax impact on an average home in the town outside the village (280K valuation) is an increase of $16 to $68 in FY ‘18. Please note: these budget numbers are proposed using assumptions that can be found here. If the vote passes in December, just as is done in municipalities and school districts, the new ECPR board will have to put together a finalized budget for FY 2018 and the voters would have to approve that budget before final tax impact numbers are available.

**Can you explain why the Village municipal taxes for home owners in the Town inside the Village increase from $1 in FY17 to $167 in FY18?

Payment of the last three years on the bond will transfer over to be paid by the village and no longer by EJRP because EJRP will not exist. Also, the Trustees publicly acknowledged phasing the tax implications of the formation of the rec district. In Year 1 that is five cents on the dollar. The village would collect the taxes to give to the rec district. Taxes for the rec district ($96) are the same for residents in the town-inside-the-village or outside-the-village. Taxation for those in the town-outside-the-village goes up slowly about $12/year and down for resident’s inside-the-village by $11 to $43 per year once the bond is paid off.

**Is the FY18 budget a flat/decrease/increase compared to the combines FY17 budget?

Detailed budget information and 5 year projection can be found on our site here.The following Budget assumptions were used to develop the proposed 5-year budget projections:• Annual grand list growth of 1% for Village and Town• Rec District tax rate remains level• Formerly parks & recreation related expenses remaining with Town grow in line with grand list• Village assumes debt relief payments on Maple Street bond for final 3-years (FY18-FY20)• Village phases down tax support for rec district over 5-years, starting at .05 and reducing by .01 each year

*Can the RGSC present budgets for FY ‘19-’22?

No government entity can provide adequate budgets for upcoming fiscal years. The best we can do is a projection assuming no major changes (all programming and staff staying constant) and allowing for 1% growth. That projection is on the website here. Note...the true budgets will be developed by the elected Board of Directors each year and approved by Australian ballot by the Essex Community.

*In five years what will the tax be in the Village & Town?

The transition team has provided a forecast based on many assumptions. The true tax in the village and town will depend upon the activities of the new Recreation District, its board of Directors, and approval via Australian ballot of the Essex community. In FY’23 the estimated taxes are $163 for a $280,000 home.

*At what point do Town and Village Recreation payments equalize?

There are two possible answers to the question which depend upon whether or not the Village Municipality enacts a tax step down. Currently the Village Municipality is exploring a $.05 decreasing by $.01 per year tax step down to help offset the cost to the Town outside the Village over the first 5 years. In this case payments would equalize for residents in 2023. If they do not put in place the tax step down, then the payments would equalize in 2018.

**Will the school budget go down since rec costs are moving?

This question is difficult to assess, as the school districts are preparing to merge in July 2017 and are in the process of developing their budget. In FY17, EJRP paid ~$116K total, to EJSD, EHS, and CCSU for services including legal, finance, payroll, maintenance, and IT. Those entities will no longer provide these services to EJRP and will also no longer receive the revenues from EJRP. The net impact has yet to be determined.

*What does the transition team have budgeted for salary range for the Executive Director?

The salary range for the Executive Director would be set by the future board of Directors of the ECPR. In the transition team budgeting exercise they used wages for all current Full-Time recreation employees plus 3.5%.

**Will the current rec director become the Executive Director?

The new rec district board that is elected in December would be in charge of recruiting and hiring a recreation director.

*Will Essex Community Parks & Recreation employ your own legal, IT, financial and other services or will you use the village or town?

The transition team comprised of CCSU members, Town administration and the 2 recreation departments have proposed that :

ECPR provide: Daily Receipts, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Human ResourcesEssex Town contracted to provide : Treasurer/Check Signing, Accounting / Audit, Tax Collection, Elections3rd Party contracted to provide : Payroll, IT Support, Legal SupportThe Transition team continues to meet to provide more clarity and direction into the structure and operations of the new Recreation District and these items may change.

**How much additional cost will the contracted payroll, etc. service cost compared with current expenses?

IT, payroll, finance, legal and insurance are estimated at $127,000 in the FY18 budget. Other services and support in FY17 were $130,000 (assessment for CCSU, IT, Legal, insurance, some maintenance). Official numbers will have to be calculated by the future Recreation Board and approved by Australian ballot.

**How can the UMD be covered by the insurance of the League of Cities & Towns if it is not part of a municipality?

VLCT is where the Town and the Village get there insurance (PACIF). The Town and Village pay a membership fee. The union municipal district can be an associate member of VLCT and use PACIF as its insurance provider, or seek insurance coverage elsewhere through a commercial entity that provides insurance coverage for municipalities.

**Why not charge more for program fees, so that taxpayers aren’t tapped at all to underwrite admin costs?

Currently fees charged are determined by the two recreation departments and are not under the purview of the RGSC. The recreation departments price at a competitive level but also an affordable one. Since the 1970’s, both the Village and Town have valued publically funded recreation department’s, that are in part supported by tax dollars.

**What was the grand list growth in most recent years?

The Town and the Village both currently use a 1% growth for estimating purposes. The average growth in the Village grand list over the past five years has been 0.98% and for the Town 1.40%.

*Could the Village lease property to Essex Community Parks & Recreation at an amount that would cover the remaining Maple Street bond payments?

Not explicitly, it is required that only the municipality that voted for a bond pay the bond back.

**How will the towns assist the tax loss for lower income residents when the budgets are no longer covered under schools budget?

None of the recreation budgets are currently covered under the school budgets. The EJRP budget is voted on separately and funded through municipal property taxes.

*What will the oversight of the treasurer be -how often?

The treasurer will be appointed and overseen by the recreation district board..This is laid out in the Union Municipal District agreement in section 1-17: The Treasurer for the district shall be appointed by the Board of Directors, shall not be a member of the Board and shall serve at its pleasure. The Treasurer shall perform all of the duties and functions incident to the office of treasurer of a body corporate, including but not limited to:

(a) Maintain custody and distribute the funds of the District and sign, make, or endorse in the name of the District all checks and orders for the payment of monies and pay out and disburse the same.

(b) Keep a record of every note or bond issued by the District and of every payment thereon of principal and interest and, if coupons are taken up, shall cancel and preserve them.

(c) Render a statement of the condition of the finances of the District quarterly and at all other times as shall be required by the Board.

(d) Prepare an annual financial statement of the District and distribute it to the Members.

*How will accountability be better?

The new recreation district will have a separately elected 5 member board of community members, just as the Village and Town currently have. This elected board will only be responsible for the recreation department and budget allowing them to have a focused and detailed responsibility to the taxpayers of Essex and Essex Junction.

*How many levels of oversight would the UMD have?

As of now, the levels include the Voters, the Elected Board, the Executive Director and the RGSC is recommending a volunteer Recreation Advisory Council. That is ultimately up to the new elected board.

*How will the new district be governed to ensure the park director is properly supervised?

The new district would be governed by a 5 member elected board similar to the Trustees and Selectboard. This board will hire the executive director and have the authority to fire as well. As stated in section 1-6 of the ECPR agreement approved by the Vermont Attorney General “All power and authority of the District shall be exercised by the Board.” The board will be required to operate under Vermont Open Meeting Laws. The residents of the district will have access to the Board as they do today with the Selectboard and Trustees.

*Is this adding a layer of bureaucracy?

This new board will be a separately elected board but does not add a layer ofbureaucracy under the current Trustees or Selectboard as they will not be answering toeither but rather to the voters directly.

*Are directors and officers of the UMD required to complete a conflict of interest statement annually? Would the statement require conflicts to be stated and for the individual to abstain from voting?

This would be a decision for the new Essex Community Parks & Recreation Board. There are no requirements for it. It would follow standard practice for all elected officials and laws currently in place for the same.

*Who will own the assets of the Town Recreation Department?

Essex residents would still own the Town Recreation Assets.

**We were told at the first meeting we would retain our parks is that still true?

Yes. The Transition Team has recommended that each municipality lease their parks to the new district for $1 per year. The village will retain ownership of the village parks and the town will retain ownership of the town parks

**If the municipalities retain land/buildings what would the committee see the need to bond for? i.e. Senior Center

The RGSC did not discuss what could potentially be bonded. We approved the language to allow for bonding in the future. The next board and voters would determine any future bonding needs.

**Where does the money go that has already been paid in taxes for rec to the town?

Funding that has been put aside for rec will remain with the town. The new rec district can request funding which must be approved by the Selectboard.

*The Prudential Committee currently owns the Saxon Hill Property and leases it to Rec. Will this property revert to Essex Westford UUSD?

Yes, the contract is valid through 2029 and will transfer as well.

**Is the childcare provided by the YMCA in the Town licensed?

Yes.

**Is the licensed childcare provided by EJRP self-funded or supported by tax dollars?

All of the direct costs related to licensed childcare provided by EJRP are paid for by participant fees.

Today the train hop, farmers market, and block party are in the village budget paid by Essex Junction residents, not town residents. The Trustees have discussed whether the municipality should or should not be responsible for these community events. If the Trustees and rec district board agrees then the budget for those three events would be moved to the new rec district so the cost is shared by all and the rec district would facilitate the events. EPR budget includes $7,500 for the Memorial Day Parade. This also would fall under the same community events bracket.

**Who pays for fireworks now, if a “yes” vote who will pay in the future?

EJRP pays for fireworks now. The new rec district will pay for fireworks if it is created.

*In my experience EJRP and EPR have different accommodation policies. How would the new parks & recreation department ensure ALL children in the community be welcomed?

Both department's staff members work closely with families to make program experiences as positive as possible. Each child is different and although program curriculum and processes are set up in a general way, we are sure to make appropriate accommodations when feasible. Department priorities are based on the safety and well being for all involved and this would carry over with combined staff into the new ECPR District.

Since ECPR is not an official entity at this time, we cannot state a formal policy that would be in place under ECPR.

**Is there an example of a recreation service that will be enhanced?

The recreation district will present an opportunity to bring together the best of both of our current recreation departments, including expanding licensed childcare opportunities from the Village to the Town, and building on EPR’s Extended School Day Program in the Village. There would be comprehensive management of community events. All services and programs would be coordinated from one office, with one phone number, one website, one set of policies, and common staff.

*Would programs be available to all members of the Village & Town equally, i.e. childcare,sports programs, pools, parks?

Just as our current recreation departments do, the new Essex Community Park &Recreation will attempt to serve all constituents with consistent programming andaccess options. The ECPR would evaluate all programs offered – single and duplicate offerings – and look to provide where the demand is needed, as well as look to scale back on any duplicate offerings in order to match the demand needs.

*If recreation departments combine, how will we handle the potential of overcrowding at Maple Street Pool?

The Maple Street Pool will continue to open 15 minutes early for passholders to gain entry. If, as has happened in the past, the pool reaches its 475 person capacity, people who want to enter can wait in line or, with combined departments, the Sand Hill Pool and Splashground will be another option for swimmers.

*Under the new entity, with the growth in the Town of Essex, if the pool must be expanded, will all town and village homeowners fund that expansion?

Any new capital expense would be paid for by the entire Essex community. If Essex Community Parks & Recreation determined that facility construction or repair was necessary and funding needed to be obtained through a bond, the board would need to put the question of bond funding to the voters of the Recreation district which would include everyone in the Town of Essex.

**Is the rumor true that a new senior center will be built?

There has been talk of this but no official plans have been set forth. None of the discussions have had to do with the RGSC

*If Town and Village municipalities merge completely in the future can we then put the recreation district under the new municipality?

Section 1-41d of the Union Municipal District Agreement states: "In the event any of the Members decide to merge to form one member municipality so that there is only one Member in this Agreement, the District shall continue in full force and effect unless and until the District votes to dissolve in accordance with the provisions of this section."

**If passed how can the UMD be terminated down the road?

The agreement specifies that prior to five years, the rec board would need to vote to dissolve, along with the Selectboard and Trustees to vote to dissolve the district, and then a plan of dissolution would be prepared and presented to the voters for consideration. After five years, the new rec board can vote to dissolve and present a plan to voters, or a petition with 5% of the voters can be done to ask for a plan of dissolution to go to the voters.

*Have there been hearings for the public to be heard?

The public participated in the decision making process prior to the RGSC making its recommendation. Every RGSC meeting has been warned and open to the public. In addition, there will have been 6 public forums prior to the December 13th vote.

**How much did the public forum facilitator cost and who paid for him?

The total cost for all forums is $2,275. The Essex Junction School District is covering the cost

The content for this website has been created by the Recreation Governance Study Committee as a way to provide the public with the information that they need to make an informed decision about whether or not to form a union municipal district between the Village of Essex Junction and Town of Essex on December 13, 2016. Questions may be submitted on the FAQ's page.